Car and air-hose coupling.



W. S. KNISELY.

CAR AND AIR HOSE COUPUNG.

APPLICATION lflLED JULY 10. 19-15.

U. wk 4 w W,W.WM m MW/O mm m W ,a I m a D1 WJ/ f M W4 w 7 r I & a 6. i w 5 8 e 2 m 1 M WILLIAM S. KNISELY, 0F BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN.

can AND AIR-HOSE oourmne.

Original application filed January 2, 1913, Serial No. 739,582. Divided and this application filed July 10,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 5, 1917.

1915. Serial No. 39,065.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, l/VILLIAM S. KNIsELY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Benton Harbor, in the county of Berrien and State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Car and Air-Hose Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention, relating to car couplers, is a division made by the requirement of the examiner from my application Serial Number 7 39,582, filed January 2nd, 1913.

The object of the present invention is to provide in combination with an ordinary coupler of the J anney or similar type, a coupling device for the air, water, gas or steam pipes (one or more commonlycalled train pipes), the same being so arranged that whenever the car couplers actually couple, this train pipe coupling device positively couples and cannot be separated or broken by a slight movement of the regular couplers; but, on the other hand, can be broken when and if the cars are actually uncoupled.

The invention consists in a device capable of carrying out the foregoing objects, which can be easily and cheaply made and installed, which is satisfactory in operation and not readily liable to get out of order; and in the specific details and features more fully set forth and claimed hereafter.

The device of this invention may be applied to any form of car coupler proper, but for convenience of illustration, it is here shown applied to the specific form of coupler shown, described and claimed in my said original application.

In the drawings, which are copied from those of said original application,

Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of two car couplers coupled together, while Fig. 2 shows the same parts in uncoupled position.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional detail view through the parts in the position of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a corresponding view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a plan view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2, showing in detail the mechanism of the specific invention involved in this application.

The particular form of car coupler shown in the drawings consists in general terms of a housing member 10 having in one half of its face or end, which is to engage another coupler, a recess 12, and on its other half a projecting lug 14:, the lug 14L of each coupler member being adapted to enter the recess 12 in the opposite coupler member and be secured therein by a pin 16 which enters through a vertical opening 18 provided for the purpose. Other numerals on the drawings below the numeral 7 8 refer to detail parts of this specific form of coupler included and covered by my said original application and need not be here referred to in detail.

, The drawings, for convenience, show the coupling of one pair of train pipe ends 77, but obviously the mechanism may be duplicated to provide for the coupling of a plurality of such pipe ends without departing from the invention.

Each train pipe end 7 7 adjacent to each coupler member 10 is connected to a hollow case or housing 78 suitably located on the coupler member 10, usually, as shown, on the under side thereof. These housings are not, as in the prior art, rigidly attached to the coupler body, but are so attached thereto that while having a limited movement longitudinally of the coupler, a given housing can never move inward from the face of the coupler beyond the position which it is required to assume to insure positive coupling'of the housings whenever the coupler members proper are coupled, but is, on the other hand, permitted to move outward from the face of the coupler member 10 a limited amount so as to permit free movement of the coupler members 10 to and from each other within all the limits required, short of actual uncoupling of these members, without the housings or train pipe coupling device becoming uncoupled or detached one fromthe other.

These results are attained in the particular case here illustrated by providing at the forward end of the housing 78 a tongue 80 adapted to slide in a suitable groove 82 in the body 10 of the coupler and by providing at a suitable point, as for instance in a tailpiece 84L at the rear of the housing, a pin and slot connection between the housing and the coupler body so proportioned that the housing cannot move inward from the given predetermined position essential for coupling with the adjacent housing when coupling takes place, but can move outward thereof for a substantial distance as locked together when in coupled position by the couplers proper start to uncouple before the housings themselves are uncoupled. In the particular case here illustrated, this is accomplished by providing the tail-piece 84: with an elongated slot 86 through which a suitable bolt 88 entering the under side of the coupler body 10 passes, each bolt and its slot being so arranged with reference to each other that when the parts are in the posi tion shown in Figs. 2 and 5 with the faces 90 of opposite housings in proximity to each other, the bolts 88 are in the forward or outer ends of their respective slots with the housings-bearing positively against the bolts and consequently the housings cannot move inwardly of their respective coupler bodies. On the other hand, each housing can move outward 'of'its coupler body a distance equal to the length of its slot 86; that is to say, until the inner end of that slot comes in contact with its bolt 88.

Each housing is provided with an internal valve device controlled by a plunger 92 which, on contacting with an opposite similar plunger, operates automatically in the manner well known in the art, as the housings 7 8 are coupled to permit air or the like to pass from one train pipe 77 through the coupled housings to the other.

The housings themselves are detachably any suitable device; as for instance, a pair of springs 94, one extending from one side of each housing and detachably engaging a lug or latch member 96 on the opposite housing with the result that when the two housings are thus snapped together, as shown in Fig. 5, they are held by the devices 9% with sufiicient rigidity so that they do not readily pull apart, but that when actual uncoupling of the car couplers takes place, each spring 94: will readily snap off fro-m its adjacent lug or locking device 96.

By the construction described, the hose pipes 77 are positively and automatically coupled whenever the members 10 are coupled and owing to the fact that the housings 7 8 when coupled have a possible movement with reference to the car couplers proper equal to the sum of the lengths of the two elongated slots 86 and that all of this movement takes place between the faces of the coupler members 10, it is obvious that there can beconsiderable accidental separation of the coupler members 10, short of their actual uncoupling, which requires movement at least equal to the sum of the lengths of the two slots 86, without the train pipe coupling device; 11. 6., the housings 78 and attached parts, being separated or uncoupled.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is

1. In combination with two car coupler members adapted to be secured together,

train pipe coupler members, one for each car coupler member and exterior thereto, mounted for free longitudinal movement with reference to its main coupler member, and means limiting the length of travel of the train pipe coupler member, said means holding said train couplers rigidly in coupling position with reference to each other when the car couplers are coupling, while permitting substantial movement of the coupled train pipe couplers without beginning to uncouple them as the car couplers start to separate.

2. In combination with two car coupler members adapted to be secured together, train pipe coupling members, one for each car coupler member and exterior thereto, mounted for free longitudinal movement with reference to its main coupler member, and a pin and slot connection between each car coupler member and its train pipe coupler member so proportioned that said pins hold said train coupler members rigid in coupling position with reference to each other when the car coupler members are coupling, while permitting substantial movement of the coupled train pipe couplers without beginning to uncouple them as the car couplers start to separate.

3. In combination with two coupler members adapted to be secured together, train pipe coupler members, one for each car coupler member and exterior thereto, each mounted for free longitudinal movement with reference to its main coupler member, means independent of the car coupling devices for detachably securing the train pipe coupler members together, and means limiting the length of travel of the train pipe coupler members, said means holding said train couplers rigidly in coupling position with reference to each other when the car couplers are coupling, while permitting substantial movement of the coupled train pipe couplers without beginning to uncouple them as the car couplers start to separate.

4. In combination withtwo car coupler members adapted to be secured together, train pipe coupler members, one for each car coupler member and exterior thereto, mounted for free longitudinal movement with reference to its main coupler member, means independent of the car couplers detachably securing the train pipe coupler members together, and a pin and slot connection between each car coupler member and its train pipe, coupler members so proportioned that said pins hold said train coupler members rigid in coupling position with reference to each other when the car coupler members are coupling, while permitting substantial movement of the coupled train pipe couplers without beginning to uncouple them as the car couplers start to separate.

5. In a train pipe coupling, the combination of a pair of supports, two train pipe coupler members mounted on said supports respectively for free sliding movement longitudinally of the supports in either direction and means carried by each support for positively limiting the sliding movement of the related train pipe coupler member in either direction, said means being so positioned as to hold the train pipe coupler members rigidly in coupling position during the operation of coupling the members, While permitting movement of the coupled train pipe couplers relatively to the supports during a predetermined movement of said supports away from each other.

6. In a train pipe coupling, the combination of a pair of supports, two train pipe coupler members mounted on said supports respectively for free sliding movement longitudinally of the supports in either direc- Copies of this patent may be obtained for tion, and a pin and slot connection between each train pipe coupler member and its support, positively limiting the sliding movement of the related train pipe coupler member in either direction, the pin elements of said connections being so positioned as to hold the train pipe coupler members rigidly in coupling position during the operation of coupling the members, While permitting movement of the coupled train pipe couplers 30 relatively to the supports during a predetermined movement of said supports away from each other.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of tWo wit- 35 nesses.

WILLIAM S. KNISELY.

l/Vitnesses:

R. It. GUERNER, C. A. STEPHENSON.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

